Lies from the other side
by OneshotWonder429
Summary: Connie is surprised to find Sam and her daughter when walking in to HDC. During a truthful reunion she soon discovers that both sides have hidden secrets.
1. Chapter 1

The light of morning was already streaming through the curtains when Jacob was awoken by the shroud sound of the alarm. The loud screech pierced the heavy silence which seemed to cover the room like a blanket.

He ran a hand over his face, and rolled over to see that the alarm had not woken his sleeping partner. He smiled, at how lazy she had become in her second trimester. But still she was still only five months gone, still another four long months until he could meet his baby.

He leant over her sleeping form, slamming his hand on the clock to stop the clock.

Connie had become overly self conscious during her pregnancy. Telling him to glance at her 'ugly stretched stomach', he on the other hand he had simply chuckled at this, to him she was always beautiful, even when she was downing endless herbal teas and spaghetti hoops with strawberry sauce in the early hours of the morning.

He was roused from his thoughts as Connie began to wriggle and squeal in her sleep. The nightmares. They had become a regular thing since she had entered this trimester.

"Hey, baby wake up." Jacob slid his hands down her forearms.

"It's OK you're not really there, your in bed with me, I love you, you're fine, I'm fine and the baby is fine. Every thing is fine." Reassurance, that was the key, or at least that's what Charlie had said.

Her eyes opened with a start and immediately searched out for him. "Jacob?!" She said with fear in her voice. "Are you okay?!"

Jacob smiled, scooping his hands under her armpits and pulling her up on to his lap. He curled one arm around her shoulders and used the other to rub small soothing circles on her bump.

"It's all okay baby, we're all alright, you just had another nightmare, but everything is all okay, I love you". He kissed her soft hair lightly, she smelled of clean linen and passion fruit. Most likely her shampoo.

"I hate how helpless this baby has made me. I mean I'm the infamous Connie Beauchamp and here I am sniffling because of a bad dream. I'm so pathetic."

"Hey." He moved his hand off of her bump to her chin to lift her gaze to meet his. "You are not pathetic, okay? You're not. Because you are Connie Beauchamp, talented heart surgeon and doctor extraordinaire, man-eater, mother, and not too bad in bed either." He joked she smiled.

"Not too bad, aye? I shall have to put that on my CV 'not too bad in bed'. I love you Jacob." She reached an arm behind his head and kissed him. "What time is it?"

"Half past eight, we have an hour and a half before we need to be in. Come on I'll make breakfast, you get ready."

Jacob mad his way out of the room and Connie was left to her own thoughts. She stretched out across the bed, feeling the cold untouched areas of the bed, chilly against the warm skin of her lower legs.

She ran a hand over the curve of her stomach letting it rest where her stomach met her pelvis, warming her hand on heat of her own skin. A sigh escaped her lips as she sat up in the bed, the rush of cool air hitting her the same as opening the door of a freezer.

Before she got to her feet she ran a hand over the framed scan photo as she did every morning, before moving in to the bathroom to change.

:3

Jacob held her waist tightly as they walked through the car park to the entrance of the E.D, the cold winters morning had cast a thin film of ice across the Tarmac, and he was afraid she might lose her footing. Especially in those heels.

He still struggled to comprehend it, she was five months pregnant and still somehow managed to fit her swollen feet into heels, and walk in them. How on Earth she she keep her balance? He had, on more than one occasion caught her curling her stockinged foot on her desk in pain, Louboutins cast to the side, with her face scrunched in relief.

As they reached the automatic doors he released her waist and instead took hand, walking her as he always did to her office.

"So girl, I'll see you in a few I'm just gunna go get changed okay, you good?" She smiled and reached up to kiss him. The backs of her feet just slipping out of the heels of her shoes.

He made his way out of the office, closing the door behind him and she smiled to herself bringing her hands up to her stomach and staring into the distance wistfully.

Connie glanced over at the clock and shook herself back into reality. Shrugging off her blue coat, which didn't do up anymore, thanks to the bump. She placed it on a hanger in the corner of the room.

The door opened suddenly and with more force than the instigator had intended, swooping briskly and hitting a the edge of the wall with a thud.

Connie jumped slightly and turned around, Rita Freeman stood small in the door way, looking remorseful.

"Sorry, Connie, I didn't mean to storm in with so much velocity." She said almost sarcastically reaching for the handle of the door and pulling it round slightly to a more healthy angle.

"That's quite alright Nurse Freeman-" Rita sighed quietly, always with the 'Nurse Freeman' she thought to herself, she couldn't help but hope for something else from her boss, something...more?

"What can I do for you?" Connie stood, slightly awkwardly placed, in the centre of the room looking at the blond-haired nurse who stood in the doorway.

"Fifty five year old woman, involved in an RTC bus versus pedestrian, apparently she just walked out in to the centre of the road, conscious gcs of 14, but query spinal injury and pelvis. ETA 5 minutes." Connie nodded her head as a sign of dismissal but Rita stood fast.

"But we're chock a block, resus and cubicles are full with diverted St James' patients do I don't know where she's gonna go?"

Connie closed her eyes in annoyance, taking a breath.

"Don't worry I'll sort it." Rita smiled and nodded before moving off

:3

Jacob made his way out of the cubicles and over to Charlie, who stood with a stack of notes in his arms detailing patients who needed to be dealt with.

"Right boss, what you got for me?" He said cheerily reaching out his hands for the notes.

"Emma Dufresne, arrived from her hotel with her partner and step-daughter, severe abdominal pain, diagnosed IBS. But she seems to think that this is something else. HDC." Charlie dipped his head and walked away, moving to cubicles to try to clear some, gazing disapprovingly at the waiting times as he went.

Jacob made his way to HDC, to treat his patient. Pulling open the door he saw a young a woman in bed clutching the hands of a man and a young girl, one on each side.

"Hello", he smiled standing at the foot of the bed. "I'm Jacob and I'll be your nurse."

The man looked disapprovingly at Jacob, "Nurse? Where's a doctor? I told you blooming NHS, useless! We've been here over an hour! You know what?! We should go private!"

Jacob laughed sarcastically, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were royalty. You want a seat sir? Hot or cold beverage? I'll tell you what, why don't you lie down and I'll weight on you hand and foot?"

"Excuse me?" The man moved away from the side of the bed.

"Listen mate, I may just be a nurse, but I know for a fact that I work my ass off for the NHS, to try and help people like your girlfriend here, for really, not a lot of cash. So pipe down, yeh?"

The man sneered and took a deep breath and smiled forcefully.

"Fine, but is there a phone I could use to call my mother, she doesn't even know we're in the country as we live in America, I just got called away last minute for a conference."

Jacob felt the need to mend bridges with this patient so he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own mobile and passed it to the man.

"Here use mine, the queue for the pay phones is unreal." The man smiled a thank you and took the phone, unlocking it to reveal a baby scan as a lock screen.

He smiled, "Father to be aye? Lucky you, even though they're a lot of work! How many months has she got left?"

"Four, but still wearing her heels at five months pregnant, she won't listen to me and back down even though I know for a fact they hurt her feet." He joked.

"Sounds like this ones mother." He gestured to the young girl on the opposite side of the bed.

For the first time Jacob looked over properly at the young girl and realised she was startlingly familiar. But he couldn't place where from.

Just at that moment Connie entered, searching for a place for her patient, who had arrived with serious injuries but so far stranded in cubicles, she walked in without looking up.

The young girl and the man looked at each other surprised.

"Jacob, do you know any patients who have outstayed their welcome, I have no where to put-" She stopped suddenly as she looked up, her eyes widening.

"Gracie?" She moved towards her daughter. "W-what are you doing here darling?"

"Sam? What's going on?" But neither Sam nor Grace answered as they were transfixed by the sight of her raised stomach.

:3

So this took me ages, I will update but it may take a while (a very long time). But it maybe depends on response, I've been out of the game for a while so feel free to correct or point out any rookie errors ;)

Thanks for reading please review :)


	2. Chapter 2

No-one said anything for what seemed like a lifetime.

"Sam, what's going on?" Connie queried, making her way to the end of the bed and standing herself next to her partner. "When did you get back?" Connie's voiced raised slightly, so Jacob placed his arm around her waist to make sure she kept her cool. His arm felt heavy on her hips, but it was somehow soothing and calmed her slightly.

"A couple of days ago." Sam finally replied, before justifying himself. "It was a last minute thing, the main speaker at a important conference pulled out and it was just too good an opportunity to miss. There was no time to call you sorry. Any chance you could examine her?"

Connie puffed out her cheeks and passed the pile of notes she was holding to Jacob, who deposited them on to a trolley. Pulling the notes out of Emma's bed she scanned them quickly. "So, Emma it says you've been suffering with severe abdominal pain. Has anything like this happened before?"

"No never, when the IBS flares up it's always much more crampy, like period pains. This is sharp and just here." She indicated to a patch of her stomach, Connie moved round to Grace's side of the bed, smiling at her Grace simply ignored this and grasped on to Emma's hand.

"Sorry Gracie darling, I just need to examine her." Grace rolled her eyes moving to stand at the edge of the room. "Emma I just need to feel your abdomen OK?" Emma nodded and connie rolled up her top and placed her hands down.

Her forehead creased in concentration, before she looked up prominently at Jacob. "I can feel a pulsatile mass." Sam's head whipped up.

"You what?" Connie ignored his question.

"Are you a smoker?"

"On and off, usually only when I'm stressed which is when the IBS flares up." Connie picked up her hand pinching the skin.

Connie looked up at Jacob wearily. "She has every symptom of a triple A."

Both men at her shocked before replying in unison, "Abdominal aortica aneurysm?"

Sam was quick to contest, "She's 32 not 70, Connie!"

"I'm well aware of that thank you, but wouldn't it be better to just send her for a CT, just to make sure?"

Sam nodded reluctantly. "Any idea how much longer we'll be waiting for? It's just we have to get going soon."

Connie looked up at him sharply. "Going where? Back to America? What, so you were just going to drop in with my daughter whom I haven't seen for nearly a year, to where I live and then just leave without telling me? Am I not allowed to see my own daughter? I can't believe yo-" Connie halted mid sentence, drawing in a breath and scrunching up her eyes. She swayed slightly before falling back into Jacob, who just managed to catch her.

Her eyes opened and closed blearily as she tried to recover from the dizziness. "All right, all right." He murmured soothingly in to her ear, "Calm down, why don't you go grab a quick break, huh, sweetcheeks?" Connie exhaled before nodding and making her way silently out of the room.

"What's wrong with her?" Grace piped up for the first time since Connie had arrived. Sam too looked quite worried for the mother of his child.

"Oh, um she has had quite high blood pressure since she got pregnant, but she tells me all the time that this one is much easier than her first. She always says that the morning sickness with Grace was awful." Sam nodded.

"So, how long have you been together? I assume you must be quite serious if you're having a baby together.." Jacob noticed that this man had the tendency to raise his eyebrows while he was speaking, noticing he had deepening creases across the light skin of his forehead.

"Not long, and really the baby wasn't planned, it just sort of happened, she was though very against it. She didn't want another child because she said that she already had one that hated her, and one was enough." He said sadly.

"But I don't hate her!" The young girl protested. "It's just, she cares a lot about her work and sometimes she didn't have enough time for me..." She trailed off shrugging her shoulders awkwardly. "Is she going to be alright?"

"She'll be fine, she just needs to calm down and have a seat. I'd better go and check on her, we'll be back in a moment." He made to leave but the small voice piped up again.

"Can I come?"

:3

 **Just a quick filler chapter to lead us on to the more juicy stuff, I managed to complete my mitosis work early so had an hour to spare for writing :) I hope this is OK? I wasn't too happy with it really, but thought I should post something.**

 **Thanks so much for reading and thank you to all the people who reviewed, favourited and followed. Please don't be put off by this chapter it's just a quick one to connect up the story don't worry ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

Connie was lying flat out on the sofa, her hands on her bump and eyes closed, when Jacob pushed open the door. He smiled and entered the room with Grace at his heel. He realised when she didn't stir that she must have accidentally fallen asleep.

He crouched down next to her and rubbed her forearms. "Hey Con, wake-up, there's someone here to see you." Her eyes flickered open slowly, before scanning the room, her eyes widened when she spotted the young brunette girl standing tentatively at the door. She sat herself up hastily, Jacob sprung to her side, his hands at her back in case of any dizziness. "Woah, careful Connie, slowly. Your RTA patient is now in a side room, by the way.

"Gracie? You're really here? I thought I had imagined it." She smiled reaching her arm out to her daughter. "Come here baby. There are some things I need to explain." Grace slowly came and sat next to her mum. Jacob nodded and Connie smiled a thank you, before he left the room.

"I've really missed you baby, a lot. And I'm sorry for everything that happened. I was a really bad mum, I prioritised my work over you, the most important person in my life. But I need you to know, that through everything, I never have and never will stop loving you." Connie stoked her thumb over her daughter's cheek. "But I do understand if you hate me."

Grace turned her face slowly to look at her mother. "I don't hate you, it's just, you never had very much time for me when I lived here, and I began to think that maybe it was because you just didn't want to spend any time with me. Not that dad has much more time for me."

Connie's breath hitched in her throat as she heard her little girl speak. It was breaking her heart. She had no idea that her daughter had felt like this, about what was going on inside her head. Tears began to build slowly and trickled down her face, leaving tracks like that of a snail on the ground.

"Sweetie listen to me." She choked as her voice began to break. "There is nothing that I enjoy more than spending time, for you. I've treated you so badly I have made you feel like this, I wish I could take it all back I really could. If I could go back and change it I would." She stroked the top of Grace's head, feeling the smooth hair that lead up to her bun like a runway. "But I love you so much, and I need you to know that none of this is down to you. Connie tilted her head smiling sadly, sniffing. "Okay?"

"I love you mummy." This reminded Connie of the mantra that they used to say every night when she would put Grace to bed.

"I love you too baby." She cuddled her daughter close for the first time in months. Her daughter resting her head on her chest. Connie breathed in deeply reminding herself of her daughter's unique scent. Wrapping her arms tightly around her daughter as if she never wanted to let go.

Grace smiled and closed her eyes snuggling her head into her mother's chest. For a few moments they remained in silence, enjoying each other's company. Before Grace flicked open her eyes, and gazed down to her mother's raised stomach. She raised a hand to the bump. Connie's heart almost exploded with the 'sweetness'.

"So am I getting a baby brother or sister?" She questioned sitting up and gazing in to her mother's eyes.

Connie sighed. "Yes, in four months, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to tell you in person, and I thought I was going to see you before now."

"It's okay mum, I can't believe I'm going to be a big sister! I can't wait to meet them, OMG!" She squealed, when she was little she had always questioned Connie about her having another baby, of-course Connie had always told her that it would never happen, but now it was.

"Do you wanna have a picture to take home? I got one for you at my last scan, but never gave it to you." She leaned over the arm of the couch, and closed her fingers around the drawer of the chest, that sat in the corner of the room. Pulling it open, brushing her fingertips over the objects inside before pulling out the baby scan. And passing it to her daughter. Watching as her eyes widened and her smile broadened.

"This is actually them?" Connie laughed and nodded, kissing her daughter on the cheek. Grace ran her forefinger along the form of the baby. "Can I go and show daddy?" She jumped up as Connie nodded and flew out of the room, Connie following behind.

She flung open the door and ran up to her father and step-mum who were both sat up on the bed, Connie smiled as she watched her daughter's excitement.

"Daddy, daddy! Look it's a picture of mummy's baby! I'm gonna be a big sister in four months!" Grace held the scan up to Sam who took it and studied it.

"Really, well isn't that exciting, you'll have to come back and visit them after we leave in a few days." Suddenly the excitement dropped off Grace's face and she looked up solemnly to her dad.

"But I don't want to go yet! I want to spend time with mum!" She exclaimed. Running over to her mum and hugging her waist tightly.

"Grace." Sam said warningly. "Mum probably has to work anyway and we need to get you back home to school!" Grace snuggled tightly in to her mum's torso. "But you can spend tomorrow with her. If she's not working."

Grace looked up at her mum for an answer. "I am working baby." Connie said solemnly. Grace looked down disappointed. Sam smiled, knowing that move had played out well for him, in making Grace see that Connie had little time for her. "But, baby, I'll book the whole day of so we can do something together! Shopping?"

Grace beamed. "Really?!" Connie nodded. "Can I stay at your house tonight?" She inquired.

"Of-course baby, I just have to go and check on the results of Emma's CT scan, I'll see you later." Connie kissed her daughter's head and made her way out of the room.

"Mummy?" Grace pitched up, stopping her mother in the doorway. "I love you to the stars." Connie smiled widely, before replying.

"I love you to the stars . . and back!"

:3

I had to make this chapter fluffy, as I love the way that Grace manages to break through her mothers soft exterior with absolute ease. But that does not mean that this is the end of Connie's troubled relationship with Grace! ;)

Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, especially to IsabellaForever, for being so generally lovely and motivating me to continue! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Connie stood at the nurses' desk, examining the CT scan on an iPad. Her forehead creased with concentration, when Jacob trailed up behind her, snaking his arms around her waist, clasping them in the middle in-front of her bump. He placed light butterfly kissed to her neck, just below her ear.

Connie giggled, although slightly uncomfortable, "Jacob, people are looking." She murmured scanning her surroundings, her eyes briefly fluttering shut as he moved down her neck.

"Oh, there it is look triple a." She acknowledged showing him the tablet. "Can you call theatre? And let them know, that it is of urgency."

"Sure. . .You know you don't have to take it don't you, her saying she's going back." Jacob spoke into the pale skin of her neck. Connie froze, and brushed Jacob's hands away hastily, and running her hand through her thick brown fringe.

Connie sighed, "Just drop it Jacob, please." She moved her eyes back down to the CT scan. Hoping he would see that as a sign of dismissal, but he stayed persistent.

"Why, I don't get you, I can see you love her and that you've missed her, but still you won't fight for her." He placed the edge of his first finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. "Connie?" He prompted.

Once again she batted his hand away, "It has nothing to do with yo-" She began.

"Just tell me why, you're her mother, you have equal rights!" Jacob waved his hands in the air as he spoke.

"Jacob, drop it!" She protested. Moving away from him, but he was hot on her heel, the linoleum floor squeaking under his trainers.

"No! Why?! She could easily live with yo-"

"Because I don't want her to live with me, all right? I'm good at a lot of things but being a mother to Grace isn't one of them. I'm already going to have to cope with the new baby. I can't cope with Grace, as-well! Grace is better of with her father!" And with that she swept away, in to her office, her curled hair bouncing as she went. Little did she know that it was not only Jacob who had been keeping an ear on what was being said.

Connie collapsed on to her office chair. She took her head into her hands and sighed deeply, what a mess this all was. She stood up after a few moments, and composed herself. Brushing down her clothes, she made her way to HDC.

As she pushed the doors open she was greeted with a scene of panic. Grace sat on the chair next to the bed, with Sam leaning over her, and Emma craning over with worry. Grace had her hands on her chest and was struggling for breath.

Connie ran over to the chair, "What's wrong?" She cried desperately, crouching down in-front of her daughter. Moving Sam away.

Sam looked at her angrily, "Well it wasn't me, what did you do Connie?" But she did not answer. She took Grace by the shoulders and looked in to her chocolate brown eyes.

"Gracie darling, I need you to take a big deep breath for me okay?" She said calmly, demonstrating how.

"I..I..can't" Grace stuttered still clutching her chest. Connie took her hands and held them tightly.

"Yes you can baby, I know it's hard but just do what I do. In and out, in and out." She smiled as Grace begun to calm down. "Okay? Good girl just like that, in and out, in and out. Well done baby." Connie reassured, but Grace pulled her hands away sharply.

"What's wrong darling?"

"I heard you, I heard what you said!" Grace said loudly. Connie realised almost immediately what must of happened. She rubbed a hand over her face, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "That you wouldn't fight to keep me, because you don't want me, all you want is your new boyfriend, and your new better baby!"

"Oh, no darling I-" Grace was quick to contradict.

"No, don't even deny it, I heard you! I wanna go home!"

"What?" Connie asked even though she understood her meaning.

"I just wanna go back home to America with dad!" She shouted getting to her feet and pushing her mother away, who stumbled back on her heels slightly, and made her way out of the room. Connie sighed from her position on the floor. She sniffed, wiped her face and stood up slowly.

"Nice one Connie!" Sam sneered.

She scowled back at him, "She heard it out of context!"

"Context, what does she know about context? She's a child!" He shouted back at her, fuming. "She's only a child Connie, and all children need to be wanted, and the fact is that you don't really want her, do you? You don't have time for her and in your eyes she's too much of a hassle!"

Connie shook her head sadly. "I do want her! Of course I do, she's my daughter!"

"That, does not make you a mother Connie! You've been out of her life for a year and you haven't even bothered to come see her!"

"Oh of course, because you can talk! I raised her practically single handedly! When you decided to swan off to the states! I have raised her for much longer than you have! You know what you can't just swan into her life every now and then, with your fancy suits and ever changing girlfriends. Your girlfriend is seriously ill and you're here shouting at me for speaking the truth!"

Sam's face turned in to that of worry almost immediately, "Have you got the results back? What's wrong with her Connie?"

"Emma has a triple a, as suspected, Jacob is just phoning theatre now. We're going to get her up there as soon as we can, but there is only one surgeon on call and a very big waiting list, so you're just going to have to be patient! Now I'm going to find my daughter!" She turned on her heel and hastily made her way out of the room, spotting Jacob she made her way over to him.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." He replied civilly, glancing across at her.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier, you were just trying to help and none of this is your fault, I'm sorry. But right now I need your help, Grace, she heard us and I have to explain to her that I do want her. I have to explain!" She said desperately.

"Okay." He replied simply, taking her by the hand and leading her away to find her daughter.


End file.
